Insulated soft-sided containers are used to carry items that are to be kept cooler or warmer than the surrounding environment. Such containers typically have four insulated side walls, an insulated bottom and an insulated top that may be opened to gain access to the interior of the container. The top is usually secured to the side walls using a fastening mechanism such as a zipper or hook-and-loop materials, such as Velcro®. Many containers also include one or more handles for carrying the container.
When such a container is not in use, it is desirable to collapse the container so that it occupies less space during storage. The insulating material can make it difficult to keep the container in a collapsed state since the insulating material is resilient and resists being folded.
The discussion above is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.